Professional Sections are discipline focused groups that provide a variety of networking and information sharing opportunities for individual members. Each Section has its own area of the website where it will provide useful information and opportunities for interaction among section members. The section pages are available to individual members only. For information about becoming a member of a Professional Section, email Tracy Matthews, Membership Manager at mailto:tmatthews@publicgardens.org , or for information about joining the Association, click on Join APGA Now located on the left menu bar.
Below is a brief description of each section.
Conservatory and Support Facilities Section
The C&SF professional section serves as a resource for professionals who grow and exhibit plants for display under glass in a Conservatory or its associated greenhouse support facilities.
Design and Planning Section
The Design Professional Section (DPS) provides a resource for planning and design professionals working in and with public gardens.
Education Section
The Education Professional Section supports the overarching mission of APGA by supporting the work, value, and achievements of educators working in public horticulture and plant-based education.
Green Buildings and Landscapes Section
The Green Buildings and Landscapes (GBL) professional section of the APGA serves as a resource for professionals at public gardens throughout North America working to improve the environmental sustainability of their facilities, landscapes, and practices.
Grounds Management Section
The Grounds Management Section collects and disseminates information on all aspects of grounds management including urban forestry, environmentally supportive strategies, and new developments in equipment, chemicals, regulations, and maintenance procedures, to promote grounds management as a profession.
Information Technology Section
The purpose of the Information Technology professional section is to assist and encourage the botanical garden community to make the best use of computer and other information technologies for diverse purposes, including management of collections, natural areas and facilities as well as membership, development, education, research and other purposes that support and strengthen the goals of organizations.
Marketing & Communications Section
The MCPS strives to provide opportunities for networking, professional development and act as a resource for marketing and communications experts for APGA members and the general public.
People-Plant Interaction Section
The People-Plant Interaction (PPI) Section of APGA supports the belief that the level of human interaction with plants through work, play, living environments and learning experiences significantly impacts individual health and happiness and community and societal well-being.
Plant Collections Section
The Plant Collections Section focuses on issues related to the curation and display of living plant collections. It promotes professional standards and the dissemination of information on collections acquisition and content, accessioning and labeling, plant exchanges, and coordination of collections to preserve the gene pool.
Plant Conservation Section
The Plant Conservation Section's purpose is to encourage public gardens to focus on plant conservation as a key mission area and to keep them informed of related issues.
Plant Nomenclature & Taxonomy Section
The Plant Nomenclature and Taxonomy Professional Section is a resource for education, information dissemination, research and discussion about plant names.
Volunteer Management Section
The Volunteer Management Section continues to provide professional expertise, guidelines and resources for volunteer coordinators at member gardens through the efforts of its Section members, and at its biennial Interaction Conference.
The APGA is committed to providing networking opportunities for all of our members. If you are interested in creating a new Professional Section, please contact Tracy Matthews, APGA Membership Manager at tmatthews@publicgardens.org or (302) 655-7100 ext 14 to learn how.
